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Jay Bouwmeester replaces Duncan Keith on Canada's World Cup roster
St. Louis Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester will replace Chicago Blackhawks blueliner Duncan Keith on Team Canada’s World Cup of Hockey roster.
The Blackhawks released a statement from team physician Michael Terry saying that Keith was still rehabbing a knee injury and the tournament could make him more susceptible to an injury.
“As Duncan continues offseason rehabilitation on the right knee injury that he sustained last season, we understand his decision not to participate in next month’s World Cup of Hockey. We believe it is in his best interests to focus on getting stronger and not risk further injury.”
The 32-year-old Bouwmeester is a veteran of two Olympic Games for Team Canada and also played in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. In the 2014 Olympics, Bouwmeester notched one assist in six games played, helping Canada to a gold medal.
The decision to add Bouwmeester could have to do with the fact that both he and Keith are left-handed shots. Kris Letang and P.K. Subban – two elite defensemen not on Team Canada’s roster – both shoot from the right side. Bouwmeester joins a group that includes Brent Burns, Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin, Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Weber and Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
Keith – the 2015 Conn Smythe Trophy winner – is the second high profile player to drop out of the World Cup for Team Canada this week. On Tuesday, Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn, who had surgery to fix an abdominal injury during the offseason, was replaced by San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture.
Is this the right move for Canada, or should the team have picked someone else to replace Keith? What do you think?
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
